


Neil Josten and the Goblet of Fire

by whenwordsflyoffthepage



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: AU - Goblet of Fire, Allison and Dan filling in for the Weasley twins a la illegal betting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Hufflepuff!Andrew, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Kevin is in love with his broomstick, Multi, Parselmouth!Neil, Renee is practically Luna, Slow Burn, Slytherin!Neil, Triwizard Tournament, Wandless Magic, everyone is mutually pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-05-03 02:51:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14559234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whenwordsflyoffthepage/pseuds/whenwordsflyoffthepage
Summary: After his mother's death, Neil no longer has any reason to ignore his seventh and final Hogwarts letter when it gets delivered to him. He needs time to get back on his feet and ready his plan to run somewhere far, far away from his father’s grasp. Hogwarts sounds like a safe place to bide his time. Unfortunately for Neil, nothing is ever that simple. When Hogwarts hosts the Triwizard Tournament, he quickly gets caught in the middle of the unfolding competition, an old feud, a deal between two friends, and possibly something larger that’s at play.





	1. Letters from Hogwarts

**Author's Note:**

> hello and welcome to my Hogwarts AU! I've been planning this one for a while now and am so excited to start posting it. I won't have a set posting schedule but I'm dedicated to one day finishing it don't worry! quick notes before we begin, I'm sorry in advance for any americanisms that may end up in here but I'll try by best. and I've taken some liberties with how Hogwarts letters are dealt with to better fit Neil and Andrew's backstories so that may be a bit different than the hp canon but will be explained.
> 
> you can find me on tumblr at whenwordsflyoffthepage! also thanks to Jules (thepalmtoptiger) for beta reading this fic for me!

Nathaniel was in Rome when he was sent his first Hogwarts letter. Well, to be exact they’d just left Rome, shedding his third fake name and third fake personality, on the road south. The destination didn’t matter as much as the distance it provided from England, from Wesninski Manor, from his father.

Nathaniel and his mother had been running for almost a year now. Not that he’d known it was running at first. Or maybe he’d always known but hadn’t grasped the consequences of it. But after their last encounter with his father’s men two months back, his new scars had hammered home the reality of their situation. There was no going back for them. It was running or death. 

Because of these thoughts Nathaniel had begun to realize and accept over the past few months, he rightfully froze when the warbling figure on the skyline grew into the telltale shape of an owl, flying straight for them.

His mind said to hide, to run, to flee like his mother had instructed him, but her resigned sigh stopped him. Why wasn’t she worried?

Nathaniel switched between watching his mother’s expression to tracking the owl’s descent to scanning the surroundings for people about to jump out at them. If an owl knew their location, wasn’t this a trap?

Mary held out her arm and the owl settled upon it, hooting quietly in greeting. She pulled the string tying the letter in place on the owl’s leg and held her arm out to Nathaniel.

“Take her,” she said without glancing at Nathaniel, too focused on the letter she held in her other hand.

Nathaniel was quick to obey, having started to learn that while the consequences of not listening to his mother weren’t as bad as his father’s, they were still unpleasant.

The owl was heavier than Nathaniel had expected and it took some effort to keep his arm straight and still for her to perch on. The owl turned her head and regarded him with a large, round eye, as if knowing and waiting for him to falter. 

His mother slid her nail under the wax seal of the envelope and flicked it open, pulling out the letter inside. She scanned it with impatience then gave another resigned sigh.

“Look at this,” she told him, holding the letter in front of him until he grabbed it with his free hand.

Nathaniel held the letter up to his face. The owl turned her head to look too. 

“Dear Mr. Nathaniel Wesninski,” he whispered aloud. “We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a li-”

Nathaniel was suddenly cut off as his mother plucked the letter from his hand, held it together with the envelope in her raised hand, and placed the tip of her wand to the corner, muttering “Incendio.”

Nathaniel let out a strangled no as he watched the letter, the letter addressed to him, go up in flames. He managed to smother most of the involuntary noise but his mother threw him a sharp look as she addressed the owl.

“We will not be accepting the offer. Thank you for traveling all this way.” Then she began to walk away.

The owl gave an irritated sounding hoot, likely disgruntled at the abrupt dismissal.

“I’m sorry,” Nathaniel said, trying to blink back the image of his letter going up in flames. “I would give you a treat if I had any, but we left in too much of a hurry to grab any food.”

The owl regarded him with a superior look at first, as if doubting his words, but then her feathers unruffled and she gave Nathaniel a quick yet friendly nip on the cheek before extending her wings and flying off.

Nathaniel watched her soar upwards, wings outstretched, light warming her white feathers, ready to fly far, far away. He wished she could take him with.

He tore his gaze away and ran to catch up with his mother, knowing that foolish thinking would only get him in trouble. It seemed he was always getting into trouble.

They walked on in silence for a while, long enough for Nathaniel to almost succeed in burying the memory of what just happened, when his mother surprised him and spoke up.

“Do you know what Hogwarts is?” she asked him.

Nathaniel hesitated, briefly wondering if this was some sort of trap. “A school that teaches you how to use magic?”

His mother nodded. “Yes. I went there once. As did your uncle, Stuart. As did your-” she paused, “him.” Nathaniel knew who she meant.

They walked on for a few more minutes before he worked up the courage to speak. “I remember you telling me stories about Hogwarts, when I was younger.” Nathaniel wrung his hands in front of him, a nervous tell that earned him a wack on the back of the head since she’d been trying to train him out of it. He quickly lowered his arms back to his sides. “You said it was a safe place once. The safest place.”

His mother pursed her lips before nodding. “It is safe. But at this age they will definitely be keeping an eye out in case you show up there. And I would have to leave you behind if you went.”

Something in Nathaniel grew warm at that. His mother didn’t want to leave him behind. 

Emboldened by that admittance, that maybe she didn’t see him simply as baggage to drag along with her, Nathaniel worked himself up to another question.

“Will they be able to find us? Since the owl did?”

His mother shook her head. “No, I made sure to check the process before we left. The Book of Admittance and Quill of Acceptance are solely in charge of recording all the names of the magical children in Britain. Letters are addressed magically and sent out with owls. The only process overseen by witches and wizards are the responses. As long as you’ve received and opened the letter, they won’t force you to decide in favor of attending. No one will find out you’re receiving your letters still and no one will know where those letters get sent every year.”

Nathaniel nodded at the explanation. He couldn’t figure out the feelings it gave him though. On one hand it was reassuring to know they couldn’t be tracked through the letters, that it wouldn’t be his fault for getting them caught. But on the other hand... no, he told himself firmly. Thinking about it would do him no good. Hogwarts wasn’t in the future for him. Only running was. 

His mother must’ve sensed his momentarily wavering resolve as she turned to him and crouched down so they were eye to eye.

“Nathaniel,” she said, firm and resolute, though not threatening like his father. “Tell me the rules. Show me you understand them.”

Nathaniel swallowed down all the tempting thoughts of Hogwarts, of Houses and Quidditch, of big halls and new classes, of meeting other kids his age. He buried it deep.

“Never stop running. Never look back. N-never speak to them.” 

Nathaniel had hoped she’d miss his hesitation on the last rule, but her sharpened gaze skewered him in place. 

“And why shouldn’t you speak to them?” she asked, voice low and serious. 

For a moment Nathaniel let himself listen to the sounds around them on the road, the faint, unintelligible hisses in the undergrowth transforming into murmurs as the curious snakes slithered closer to the edge of the road. Then he went back to ignoring them. “Because they’ll find us if I do. Because they will want to find us even more if they know. Because it’s unnatural.”

She nodded, letting him off easy this time as she rose back up and started walking once again. 

Nathaniel forced himself to follow and ignore the whisperings he heard. Sometimes it felt like no one in the world cared to really speak to him or listen to him. His mother said talking to snakes was bad, that being a Parselmouth wasn’t a good thing, but while Nathaniel believed everything else that she said, he couldn’t quite believe her on this. Not when regardless of where they went, the snakes were the only ones who seemed to realize he was real.

 

* * *

 

A sharp tapping noise startled Nathaniel awake, jolting him into awareness as he tightened his grip on the wand under his pillow, one small thought away from setting off an Expulso Curse in the direction of the sound. It took him a moment to assess his surroundings and realize the noise was coming from outside the window. 

He got out of bed slowly and quietly. His flat, if you could even call it that, was on the second floor of the dilapidated building he was squatting in and there wasn’t a fire escape outside this window, so it probably wasn’t a person doing the tapping. 

He stayed close to the wall as he sidled closer to the window. Just as the tapping noise started up again he jumped in front of the glass, wand raised. 

Phoebe gave him an unimpressed look and ruffled her snow white feathers. Nathaniel breathed out a sigh of relief as he lowered his wand. He hadn’t realized it was so late in the summer already. 

He opened the window and stood out of the way so Phoebe could fly inside. She settled on his makeshift bed in a flurry of white plumage and held out her leg in his direction. Nathaniel came over and slid down the wall onto the pile of blankets he’d been using as a bed for the last two months. The look Phoebe gave him as he untied the letter from her leg said she noticed how different his situation was from last time she’d visited.

The owl lowered her leg and twisted her face around, as if searching for the other person who had always been with Nathaniel when she made her yearly visit. 

“She’s dead,” Nathaniel said, voice gritty and raspy. It was the first time he’d admitted the words out loud. Come to think of it, how long had it been since he’d last spoken?

Phoebe pinned him with her large, round eyes and gave a quiet hoot, as if asking what happened.

Nathaniel reached out and trailed a finger down her head to distract himself. 

“My father’s men got to her,” he whispered. He tried to keep the grief from his voice but by the look Phoebe gave him, he didn’t succeed.

It’d been six months since his father’s men had caught up with them. They’d just crossed the channel into England, a risky venture but they’d become short on money. His mother had swallowed her pride and intended to ask her brother Stuart for help in getting passage to America. Regardless of how far away in Europe they’d traveled, his father’s men always caught up with them eventually; his mother had decided to see if an ocean’s worth of distance would succeed in getting him off their trail for good.

But only after a few days back on English soil they’d been caught. Nathaniel didn’t know if it was just bad luck or if someone had sold them out, but they’d barely escaped. His mother had instructed him to steal a car and drive north. They were somewhere on the outskirts of Bristol on the coast when Nathaniel realized what her heavy breathing meant. Romero had hit her with some curse but it hadn’t seemed bad on the surface. He should’ve known by then that a curse didn’t have to leave marks to be harmful.

When night fell, he’d stopped the car on a sandy patch of land. With her dying breaths his mother had wrung out the promises she’d forced him to make when they’d first run, that she’d made him repeat to her over and over countless times before. “Never stop running. Never look back. Never speak to them.”

He’d repeated the words again and again until they’d lost all meaning, until the strength of her grip in his faded, until her labored breathing stopped, until the sound of the waves overpowered his cracked and broken voice.

Nathaniel had given himself ten minutes to sit in that car with his mother’s dead body. He’d given himself ten minutes to silently panic and grieve and feel completely and utterly lost. Then he’d tossed his wand that had been broken in the fight with his father’s men into her lifeless lap, grabbed her wand, and muttered, “Incendio.” 

Flames engulfed the car and his mother’s body, the magic speeding up the process and transforming everything to ash in front of his eyes. Ever since Nathaniel had watched his mother use the same spell to burn his first Hogwarts letter to a crisp right in front of him, the image had been burned in his mind. It had continued to be burnt in his mind every consecutive year, with every letter that followed. He’d watched an unattainable future go up in flames six different times, but watching his past go up in flames was infinitely more painful. 

He’d been in a daze as he’d pulled her smoldering bones from the wreckage and buried them in the sand. He’d been thankful for her numerous demanding lessons on how to perform nonverbal magic when he found he couldn’t speak to even heal the burns on his hands. Then he’d obeyed her commands and ran, and he didn’t look back. 

Now, six lonely months later, Nathaniel was still just as lost. He felt as if instead of wandering north and eventually settling down in southern Wales, he’d actually strode out into the ocean that night and let its current take him out to sea. He was adrift, sinking, floundering, simultaneously wanting someone to pull him ashore and wanting the water to just pull him under already. How was he supposed to do this alone? It was just a matter of time before his father caught up with him.

It was a testament to how detached he’d been feeling that he hadn’t even realized today was the day Phoebe would be visiting. She came every year on the same day to deliver his Hogwarts letter.

Nathaniel wasn’t actually sure the owl’s name was Phoebe, but by the time she’d delivered his third letter he thought it only appropriate to refer to her by a name since she dutifully searched him out year after year only to have her letter be rejected. She hadn’t seemed opposed to the name so it had stuck. 

His mother had always glared at him when he called her it. Nathaniel just figured she was wary of him becoming familiar with any type of animal, though owls and snakes were definitely not the same in the slightest. But she wasn’t here now, was she?

“Phoebe,” Nathaniel said, not having to speak quietly since no one was around to give him a disapproving look for using the name. Phoebe cocked her head as she stared at him. “What’s Hogwarts like?”

Phoebe gave a low hoot that he decided to interpret as positive. The letter in his hands was thick, red wax engraved with the Hogwarts crest sealing the envelope shut. He’d never gotten to read past the first two sentences before, as his mother had explained he didn’t need to read the whole thing for the magic to count him as having received his letter. Curiosity was slowly igniting within him, an odd but welcome change to the hollowed out feeling that had characterized most of his waking moments since that horrid night on the beach six months ago.

Nathaniel dug his nail under the wax seal to open the envelope under Phoebe’s watchful gaze. He pulled out the two pieces of parchment and flattened them against this thigh.

“Dear Mr. Nathaniel Wesninski,” he read quietly, suppressing the flinch at his real name written out so clearly, as if he hadn’t spent most of his life to this point trying to hide it. “We are pleased to inform you that you still have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for your seventh year of magical education. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July. Sincerely, David Wymack, Deputy Headmaster.”

Nathaniel quickly flicked to the second piece of parchment and scanned the list before settling back against the wall and closing his eyes. He felt his heartbeat pick up as the words he’d read floated through his mind. He may have missed out on the first six years, but they still had a place for him. Hogwarts would still accept him.

Surprisingly, the thought of attending Hogwarts hadn’t occurred to him since his mother died. He’d been too distracted with his loneliness and grief and survival to realize it could conceivably be an option for him now. But what would his mother say? She’d once told him Hogwarts was a safe place but his father may look for him there. That was six years ago though; would he still be keeping an eye on Hogwarts after all this time? 

Indecision warred within him. He could continue on squatting in this broken down, drafty building but after another week he should probably move on. He had no idea where to go next. His mother had wanted them to cross the sea together but he didn’t think he could make that drastic of a move alone, or at least not so soon. Besides, his mother had intended to visit his uncle before that. Would Stuart see him without his mother by his side? He knew Stuart wasn’t like his father, but he couldn’t bring himself to trust a man his father’s age, not without his mother by his side. So what did that leave him with?

Nathaniel opened his eyes and tilted his head to the side so he could see Phoebe. She met his gaze.

“What should I do, Phoebe?” he asked. “I have nowhere else to go. Would I be safe at Hogwarts for a year? Take a year to learn to stand on my own and then find a way to leave Europe for good?”

Phoebe hopped forward and nipped at his hand. But he’d known her long enough to recognize what she meant. She gave sharp pecks if she disagreed with him and reserved her soft ones for when she agreed. It seems Phoebe trusted he would be safe at Hogwarts.

Nathaniel leaned forward to place his elbows on his knees and bury his hands in his hair. His closed his eyes and lost himself in his thoughts as he debated it. Should he burn the letter like his mother had done six times before, like he’d done to her bones, and turn his back on Hogwarts? Or should he see if Hogwarts was a real possibility for him, if he would be safe there for a year? Would they even want a Wesninski within their walls? His father had been officially cleared of most wrongdoing, had convinced the Wizengamot that the infamous dark wizard Kengo Moriyama had him under an Imperius Curse during those dark years, but his reputation was still questionable. Would they just turn him over to his father? Would they even believe it was him? His mother had told him that they were assumed dead after all.

But what else could Nathaniel do going forward? All he had was a bit more money and his mother’s wand. A wand that was absolutely stubborn and seemed to realize its true owner was dead. Nathaniel might be Mary’s son, but her wand refused to work for him beyond simple spells. Maybe someone at Hogwarts could teach him how to get it to behave. He could learn more about magic there, stuff beyond the basic defensive spells and hexes and jinxes his mother had made him practice. She’d even told him stories when he was younger about Quidditch played at Hogwarts. Nathaniel had flown a couple times over the past years but it’d always been used as a fast escape, nothing like when he used to fly for fun around the manor when he was younger. There was a certain freedom in flying he’d been craving for years. When his mother would leave him alone for a few hours, he always snuck out their portable wizarding radio to try to tune into any ongoing Quidditch matches before she came back. The few times she’d caught him she’d been furious, but it was always worth it. Would Hogwarts allow him to have this small taste of freedom again?

The sun was high in the sky by the time Nathaniel opened his eyes. Phoebe was dozing next to him. He ignored the slight shaking in his hands as he reached for the letter and used his wand to spell a message on the back.

“Dear Deputy Headmaster David Wymack,” he wrote. He wasn’t quite sure who to address this letter to since he knew the letters were sent out magically and not actually looked over by any professors. “I know I haven’t been able to attend Hogwarts for the first six years of my education, but your letter says there is still a place for me for my final year. I am writing to inquire if that offer really does stand. I’m assuming you will recognize my name and understand my hesitance to believe this could work. If you do understand, you may also agree that attending under my real name might cause some difficulties. I’m hoping you will keep this letter a secret from others. Sincerely, Nathaniel Wesninski.”

Nathaniel stuffed the letter back in the envelope before he could think better of it and sealed it with his wand. Phoebe woke up from the rustling and hooted at him as he reached out to tie the letter to her leg.

“Could you take this to David Wymack for me?” he asked. “Don’t let anyone else get a hold of it.”

She gave his fingers another quick nip before flying to the open window, as if she knew he was on the verge of deciding this was a horrible idea and she needed to leave quickly before he changed his mind and burnt the letter.

Nathaniel watched her fly away and buried his head between his knees. His mind was already filled with all the ways this could end in disaster.

 

* * *

 

“Come on, hurry up kids!” a woman yelled as she herded her children down the crowded street. 

Nathaniel fought the urge to shrink further back into his alcove as they passed, running circles around each other and yelling with delight. He was covered with a Disillusionment Charm so they couldn’t see him, but being out in such a busy area on his own unnerved him.

The sun was high in the sky and laughter filled the air as people roamed the street, coming in and out of shops and stopping to peer inside windows at the goods being sold. The small yet lively town was about an hour out of Cardiff and filled with Muggles, no wizarding communities for miles. 

Nathaniel was grateful for it as his mother had taught him to avoid wizarding areas at all costs. They only ever stayed in Muggle areas on the run as it was easier to remain hidden there. Also because wizards tended to stick out among Muggles, making it easier for him and his mother to spot them.

He didn’t know why Deputy Headmaster Wymack had chosen this place to meet though. How did he know Nathaniel was in Wales? Was he being tracked? Nathaniel tried to push the paranoia down. Phoebe must have somehow communicated to Wymack where she had come from. Owls were smart like that, right?

Nathaniel reached into his pocket to feel the edge of the letter he’d stuffed there, to prove to himself that the reply was real. He’d foolhardily sent Phoebe off with his clumsy message to the Deputy Headmaster two weeks ago. A week went by before she was back tapping on his window, a reply snugly attached to her leg. Nathaniel almost hadn’t opened it, too nervous to see what wide range of answer he could have gotten, but in the end the reply had been simple, written right underneath the message he’d penned days earlier.

All it said was that Hogwarts never refuses to teach someone with magical blood, regardless of their past or family. But Wymack had seemed to believe who he was and understand Nathaniel’s concern. He swore to keep the letter a secret and asked Nathaniel to meet him here, a week hence at noon, to discuss the intricacies of his Hogwarts attendance in person.

Now it was half past noon and Nathaniel still hadn’t worked up the courage to wander into the café across the street. He’d been watching the shop since morning, tracking each person who walked in and out, and pegged Wymack the moment he appeared walking out of a nearby alley. It was the way his eyes swept back and forth across the streets, the way his sleeves were loose enough to conceal a hidden wand, the way he slowly counted out the change as he paid for a coffee, as if unfamiliar with the Muggle currency he was handling. All the little things that may not mean much on their own but when combined set off warning bells in Nathaniel’s head. 

Wymack had settled with his coffee in a window seat and seemed to be patiently waiting for Nathaniel to show up. He idly wondered just how long the man would wait, if he would give up any minute and walk away. But he didn’t, instead going back to the counter to order another coffee and get comfortable in his seat again. 

Nathaniel’s feet felt frozen to the ground. His mother had spent the last few years of her life ensuring that no one found out who they were, where they really came from. Now Nathaniel was a few steps away from blatantly telling someone who he was, who his father was, why he wasn’t really dead like the reports had claimed. Would this man sell him out to his father? Would he reveal to everyone that Nathaniel Wesninski was indeed alive and vulnerable, on his own with his mother dead and buried? Was it worth the risk?

A rustling in the flower bed along the wall to his left halted his thoughts and drew his attention. Nathaniel watched as a forked tongue flickered out from beneath the leaves, followed by a small green head. 

_“You are one of them,”_ the snake hissed, though it sounded more curious than accusing.

Nathaniel slightly inclined his head towards it. His mother had forbidden him time and time again from talking to the snakes, but he’d never agreed not to listen.

_“The air… it quivers around you. You and your kind.”_

Nathaniel hummed in response. He’d heard it before. Snakes were good at telling wizards from Muggles, something about how the air around them tasted or smelled. He figured it had to do with the magic wizards gave off.

_“But you’re different. You can understand me, can’t you?”_

Nathaniel took an involuntary step away from the flower bed. He could feel his Disillusionment Charm waver in his distraction. The snake began to hiss something else and Nathaniel let the charm fall away completely, stepping out of the shadowed alcove he’d been standing in and retreating towards the café door. Better to face the unknown danger of this Hogwarts professor than face the immediate danger of being recognized as a Parselmouth. Besides, Lola may have been a horrible teacher growing up, but she did ensure Nathaniel could throw a nice Entrail-Expelling Curse if he had the need.

A small bell chimed above the door as Nathaniel entered, the smell of espresso and baked goods quickly overwhelming his senses. He didn’t waste time going to the counter, instead he made his way right towards the Deputy Headmaster and sat down in the empty chair in front of him. The man looked up from his coffee and took in his appearance, while Nathaniel sat tensely on the edge of the chair, fingers clenched tight around his mother’s wand in his pocket, ready to aim at the unfamiliar man within a moment’s notice. 

The man didn’t say anything at first. He silently stared at Nathaniel and, when it seemed he’d looked his fill, picked up his cup and drained it before setting it roughly back on the table with a thud. Nathaniel was so wound up with tension and nerves that the sound nearly made him flinch.

“Do you want something to drink? Or eat?” the man asked. 

Nathaniel didn’t respond and after a minute the man shook his head.

“Never mind,” he said gruffly, leaning back in his chair. He made a motion under the table and his muttered Muffliato was the only thing that prevented Nathaniel from bolting. “Right to business then. You can call me Wymack. I don’t care for the formalities of Professor or Deputy Headmaster or what have you.”

Nathaniel nodded when it seemed Wymack was waiting for a sign to go on.

“Do you have the letter I sent back? Proof it’s you?”

Nathaniel’s empty hand went to his pocket to brush against the letter. He hesitated only a moment before taking it out and setting it on the table between them.

Wymack didn’t take the letter, only turned it so he could verify it was the one he’d sent then slid it back towards Nathaniel. He was silently grateful for some odd reason that he could keep it and stuffed it back into his pocket.

“Did you tell anyone about me?” Nathaniel asked before he could hold his tongue. He twisted his grip on his wand, primed to flee.

“I promised I wouldn’t, didn’t I?” Wymack said. He sighed after a moment, seeming to glean from Nathaniel’s silence that his promises meant nothing at this point. “I didn’t. And I won’t. Lucky for you, Phoebe came straight to me with your response instead of dropping it off with the other replies like she should’ve. I almost didn’t believe it at first, but I went and had a talk with the Book of Admittance and Quill of Acceptance, probably the first one up in that tower in years, and found out they’d been sending a Wesnin-” Nathaniel couldn’t help the flinch at that name. Wymack seemed to notice and kept speaking as if he hadn’t. “Been sending you letters for the past seven years. Seems someone wasn’t quite truthful in saying their wife and son died in a horrible accident.”

Nathaniel swallowed. “Not truthful at all,” he muttered. He tried to speak but had to clear his throat once or twice before his could start getting this story out; the truth was clogging up his throat. “We went on the run when I was ten, probably right before he faked our deaths. We as is my mother and I. She’s dead now, thanks to his men. She never explained why in detail and I was too happy to be gone from him to question it. I’m not exactly sure what his reputation is like now, but I can ensure you he’s worse. That’s why he can’t find out I’m here. That I’m so close.”

Wymack crossed his arms over his chest, displaying flamed tattoos licking their way up his arms. If Nathaniel concentrated hard enough, the flames seemed to move. Must be a glamour in place.

“Have you ever heard of the Order of the Fox?” Wymack asked suddenly.

Nathaniel’s gaze snapped back up. “I think so. A long time ago.” He remembered in the bad days back at the manor, the days his father would get exceptionally angry, hearing him mutter about a fox or something of the like. He asked his mother about it once, back before he’d learned not to question things he overheard in that house, and he still remembered the sting of her hand and words as she made him promise to never bring it up again, especially not around his father.

Wymack raised a brow. “Somehow I’m not surprised. The Order of the Fox was created years ago in response to the growing threat of Kengo Moriyama and his band of followers. A group of us to combat dark magic and all that. And by us I mean I was a member and I’m trusting you to keep that to yourself. As you probably know, your father was one of those followers and pleaded the Imperius Curse as responsible for his actions after Moriyama’s… fall, if you will. That’s the reason I didn’t tell anyone I was coming here to meet you. I never believed for a second he was innocent. Not surprised your mother took you and ran from scum like him.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Nathaniel asked.

“Do you think I haven’t noticed how you’re a twitch away from hexing me out of my seat?” Wymack intoned calmly as he gave a pointed look to where Nathaniel’s arms disappeared under the table. “You have no reason to trust me, not yet, but I want you to know there are those of us out here that have dedicated our lives to opposing bastards like your father and the Moriyamas, bastards who like to use dark magic to increase their power and look down upon others because of stupid things like blood purity. And a lot of us happen to reside at Hogwarts.” Wymack leaned back in his seat. “So tell me, why do you want to come to Hogwarts? Why now?”

Nathaniel didn’t trust the man yet, but if what he said was true then Hogwarts really could be a safe place for him. As long as none of these Order of the Fox members decided his tie to his father was too great and that he was a liability, or that he was guilty by association.

“As I said before, my mother’s dead.” He ignored the ache in his chest at those words. “Dead because of him. He’ll never stop looking for me. I’m on my own now and it’s only a matter of time before he catches up to me again. But maybe… maybe at Hogwarts I could hide out for a while. Have a year to figure out where to run to next, hopefully somewhere he can’t follow.” As if such a place existed.

Wymack nodded, understanding filling his expression. “A place to lie low and get back on your feet. Makes sense.” He nodded again as he tapped his fingers against his empty coffee cup. “Plenty of people use Hogwarts as a place to escape, a place to get their second chance. The outside world and problems held back by the gates and wards and all that. Prepare themselves to inevitably face the challenges life throws at them and succeed. I see no reason you can’t be given the same chance, with some conditions.”

“Conditions?” Nathaniel questioned, growing warier.

“As you said in your letter, you can’t attend under your real name. Hogwarts runs on gossip and it would surely get out if you strode in proclaiming you’ve risen from the dead.” Wymack scratched his chin. “Those maggots will be excited enough as it is over a new seventh year student. Best create a good backstory.”

“I can pretend I’m a transfer from Beauxbatons,” Nathaniel suggested. “I already know French.”

Wymack shook his head immediately. “That won’t work, at least not this year. Safer to go with Ilvermorny. Unless you want to fake an accent all year we’ll say your parents relocated to the States when you were young but got transferred back recently because of their jobs. That work?”

He nodded.

“Now what should I call you? You’ll need a new name.”

Nathaniel had been through twenty-two names in the past few years, all chosen by his mother. He’d never gotten to chose his own before. He’d had faint ideas set aside if she were to ask him, but she’d never given him the chance.

Nathaniel stared down at the grain of table as he mentally sorted through the possibilities. “Neil,” he settled upon. “Neil Josten.” 

“Good. Now your real identity will be kept a secret between you and me and the Headmaster.”

Nathaniel - no, it’s Neil now, he reminded himself - started to argue but Wymack held up a finger and interrupted him. 

“No, Headmaster Whittier needs to know. It’s his school. No one aside from the three of us though. None of the other teachers, none of the Heads of House, none of the students. I’ll swear a damn Unbreakable if I have to but you can take my word for it.”

Neil hesitated for a minute before relenting. “Fine.”

“All right then,” Wymack said. “That’s settled. ‘Bout three and half weeks before term starts and you need to buy supplies and robes still. All that can be done in Diagon Alley, in London. You could stay at the Leaky Cauldron in the meantime. I can Apparate you there now if you’d like-”

“No,” Neil interrupted, harsher than he meant to. He couldn’t fight the urge to run his hand over his shirt where scars from a nasty Splinching accident hid underneath. His mother had demanded he learned as soon as they ran and it’d taken him months to perfect it. “I’ll get there on my own.”

“On your own?” Wymack questioned. “You don’t seem the type to have a car lying about. That’s a long walk.”

“I know how to take care of myself,” Neil said as he got up. “I’ll see you at Hogwarts.”

“We have resources for students who can’t afford supplies or robes,” Wymack added before he could leave. “I can get you-”

“I have money,” Neil said, turning back to Wymack for only a moment. He felt like he should say more to the man for helping him, for accepting him into Hogwarts so easily, but then Wymack stood up and all Neil could think of was how much height and reach Wymack had on him. His father’s ghost followed him everywhere.

“Take care then,” Wymack said, not moving closer. “I’ll get everything settled on my end. Just show up to Platform 9 3/4 in one piece, all right?”

Neil gave a quick nod before heading out into the street. Time to figure out the best route to London. Because he was doing the unthinkable; Neil Josten was actually going to Hogwarts.


	2. Diagon Alley

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello all, thanks for all the kudos and comments on the first chapter! I wasn't expecting that big of a response just on the first chapter and you've really motivated me to start writing this faster! so here we go and enjoy

Neil groaned as the sun spilling through the curtainless window fell across his face and woke him up. Now that he was awake the cold air from the drafty inn made him shiver and pull the threadbare blanket up and over his head. He’d been silently wishing this day would never come. 

It’d been two weeks since his meeting with Wymack, two weeks since he left and trekked out toward what was bound to be the biggest mistake of his life. Or at least that’s what his mother’s voice inside his head kept telling him. Secretly he couldn’t deny the slight excitement thrumming through his veins right alongside the nervousness. He was finally on a real path to Hogwarts. He was suddenly glad his mother wasn’t there to witness it. 

It took him a week to travel from that town outside Cardiff to London. He could’ve made it in a day if he’d wanted but his mother’s lessons were too ingrained in him. He’d backtracked, looped around, anything he could think of to keep people off his trail if they were possibly on to him. This was his father’s territory after all; better safe than sorry the saying went, though better safe than dead was more appropriate where his father was concerned. 

Neil sighed as he pushed himself out of the rickety bed and quickly dressed. 

He’d been staying at the Leaky Cauldron for a week now and hadn’t ventured out of the inn once, only leaving his room to get meals from the kitchen. The innkeeper, Hannah, seemed nice enough and he was pretty sure she was giving him a discount. The pity in her eyes as she took in his ragged form annoyed him but he’d learned while on the run to take what you could get. 

Hogwarts started in a week’s time and Neil hadn’t gotten any of his supplies yet. He should’ve gone earlier, before the last rush of students would be appearing in Diagon Alley to get their shopping in, but he hadn’t yet been able to convince himself to go out into the wizard infested area. He’d spent so long avoiding other wizards and witches with his mother that part of him was certain he wouldn’t fit in, that they would be able to immediately tell he hadn’t spent much time in the past few years around their kind. And those types of questions would lead to attention, and attention always led to disaster.

But he’d waited long enough and had no choice but to face it now. Hopefully it was early enough in the day that Diagon Alley wouldn’t be too crowded.

Neil grabbed all the money he had and stuffed it in his pockets as he headed downstairs. He kept his head down as he passed Hannah who was cleaning glasses behind the bar and slipped out the backdoor. Hannah had told him which brick to tap when he first arrived, so he reached out with his mother’s wand and hoped the stubborn piece of wood wouldn’t mess this up. 

For a moment, nothing happened. Neil was about to resign himself to asking for help when he heard a faint sound coming from the wall. Slowly, right before his eyes, the bricks started moving, turning into each other and forming an archway. On the other side: a sight like Neil had never seen before.

People of all ages and heights were crowding the cobblestone alley, peering into brightly colored shops and laden down with shopping bags. Some were dressed in Muggle clothes, some wore robes of varying colors and shades. The noise rose above everything like a wave, sounds of parents calling out for their children to behave, friends yelling greetings across the alley, spells being uttered, and owls screeching. Neil was suddenly overwhelmed by everything, by the sights, the noise, the smell, the _magic_. He now understood why his mother had avoided wizarding areas; this was all just so _much_. It was like he’d stepped into a completely different world.

Neil stood frozen to the spot, breath quickening as he took in this undiscovered, uncharted territory before him. How could he do this on his own? It would only take a moment for everyone to see he didn’t belong, that he was fake, that he-

“Did you forget how to walk?”

Neil started at the unexpected voice, but before he had time to turn around and see who had spoken they pushed past him, knocking into his shoulder and causing him to stumble aside. 

“Really, Andrew?” another voice called out after the blond as he walked into Diagon Alley without a backward glance. “Sorry about that.”

Neil turned to find another boy his age looking at him, apology written all over his face. 

“Come on, Nicky,” said another of the group as two other boys walked after the first. 

Nicky gave Neil a quick smile before hurrying off into the crowd of people.

Students, Neil realized. Those were probably his soon to be classmates.

Neil shook his head to clear his mind and headed off in their direction. There was no turning back now.

First thing on his to do list was to exchange his Muggle money for wizarding currency. Hannah had been nice enough to accept what Muggle bills he had so far but he knew the shops wouldn’t do the same.

Neil had to fight through the crowds to make it all the way down the alley and to Gringotts Wizarding Bank. It was a tall, imposing building that towered over all the other small shops. Neil quickly climbed the white stone steps and a goblin opened the door as he approached. He could feel the goblin’s eyes on him and he hurried through to avoid their scrutiny. 

Inside, the ceiling loomed far above as the marble floor extended back so far Neil could barely see the far wall. Counters lined the sides of the room with goblins behind them, conversing with witches and wizards and pointing them down different hallways branching off from the main room.

“What brings you to Gringotts today, sir?”

Neil turned and looked down to find a goblin staring expectantly up at him. He probably looked like a clueless fool once again blocking an entrance. He was doing a shite job at blending in like his mother had taught him.

“I need to exchange some Muggle money,” Neil answered, standing straighter and keeping his voice even, as if this was an everyday situation for him.

“Follow me,” said the goblin, starting off towards the counter to the right.

They came to a stop part way down the counter. Neil turned to look at the goblin seated on the other side and when he turned back his guide had disappeared. He turned back toward the counter and read the small plaque with what he assumed what this goblin’s name. 

“Um… Ragnok?” Neil questioned after a minute spent watching the goblin read the parchment in front of him without looking up. “Could you help me exchange this Muggle money?”

The goblin held out his hand without acknowledging Neil. 

Neil sighed. He vaguely remembered his mother ranting about the hostility of goblins towards wizarding kind once before but he didn’t realize she hadn’t been exaggerating. 

He fished his money out of his pockets and dropped it all in Ragnok’s hands, some of it falling to the counter. Ragnok swept the notes behind the counter and ducked underneath it. 

Neil tried not to fidget and glance around as he waited for Ragnok to reappear. It was a full five minutes before Ragnok popped back up and dropped a brown pouch on the counter in front of Neil without a word.

Neil understood that as the dismissal it was and turned around. He had the urge to check that he hadn’t been scammed out of the full amount of his money but he also remembered his mother saying goblins took their jobs very seriously. Checking they had made the right conversions would probably be offensive.

Neil stood on the steps at Gringotts and fished Wymack’s latest letter out of his pocket. Phoebe had been waiting for him at the Leaky Cauldron with it when he arrived. Wymack had listed the classes Neil could be enrolled in without having a “conventional” education up to this point, as he put it. If he meant Neil had only learned what magic he needed to stay alive and make sure the people following him wouldn’t stay that way for long, then he might be right.

Wymack had listed Flourish and Blotts as the shop where he could get all the necessary books for his classes, but Neil had noticed a small secondhand bookshop earlier and figured saving his money would be a brighter idea, especially considering he was mostly a fake student anyhow.

Luckily the small, run down shop had all the books he needed: _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7_ by Miranda Goshawk for Charms, _Confronting the Faceless_ for Defense Against the Dark Arts, _New Theory of Numerology_ by Lukas Karuzos for Arithmancy, and _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore for Herbology. The last book was an older edition than listed on his supply list, but Neil didn’t care enough about the subject to go purchase a newer copy somewhere else.

Next stop was Madam Malkin’s, a bit farther down the street. Neil walked out of the secondhand bookshop and stumbled as a group of young kids pushed past him, screaming and laughing. Just as he straightened up a man came chasing after them, yelling for someone to stop the scoundrels. 

Neil tensed automatically and took a few quick steps away. A faint bell sounded as he backed into a door, causing it to open a few inches. 

The man turned to him. “Which way did they go?” he demanded. 

Neil couldn’t get words out in the face of the man’s anger and instead stepped backwards and slipped inside the shop behind him.

The bell jangled loudly as the door closed between Neil and the man. He heard the sound of a huff and footsteps as the stranger took off down the street.

Neil turned around to see what shop he’d stumbled into, his eyes slowly adjusting to the dim lighting. There were piles and piles of dusty boxes lining the narrow walls that disappeared far into the back of the store. There must have been an Extendable Charm in place because the building didn’t appear that deep from the outside. The only clean place in the shop was the empty counter, on which sat a glass vase and a closed leather bound journal. There were no signs hung up to inform Neil as to what was stored in the boxes.

“You’re in need of a new wand,” said a voice out of nowhere.

Where the counter had just stood empty, a man now leaned against it. Thin, average height, graying hair, clothes as dusty as the shelves surrounding him.

“I don’t need a wand,” Neil responded. He didn’t have enough money to waste on a wand. He would make his mother’s work somehow. 

“Even though the one in your pocket will never obey you?” the man questioned.

Neil’s eyes narrowed. “How could you know that?”

“Because I’ve been making wands longer than you can imagine and remember every one I’ve ever sold.” The man held out his hand, palm up. “Ash wood, right? Stubborn. Let me take a look.”

Neil took his mother’s wand out of his pocket and gripped it tightly.

A few moments passed in silence before the man sighed and straightened. “I’m not going to steal it from you. I sold it in the first place after all. I’ll tell you if it’s truly a lost cause though.”

Neil hesitated a moment more before tossing the wand on the counter, where to rolled right into the man’s hand. 

He hummed as he examined it. “8 inches, dragon heartstring.” He held it up to his ear. “As I suspected, unsettled, stubborn, angry. Not happy to be away from its true owner.”

“I didn’t steal it.”

“I know, I know. I sense grief too.” He set the wand down within Neil’s reach and folded his arms. “It’s wilting. Won’t last much longer. Regardless of your relation to its original owner, it doesn’t feel any obligation towards you. If you continue to use it you’ll just be left without a wand soon enough.”

Neil’s heart clenched as the man turned his back and walked towards the piles of what he now realized were wand boxes. Left without a wand? How would he survive and defend himself without a wand? Maybe he should have listened to Wymack’s offer of money instead of running away too quickly.

Neil grabbed his mother’s wand just as the man returned and dropped a box on the counter. 

“I’m Hernandez, by the way,” he said. 

He paused as if waiting for Neil to give his name.

“Umm, Neil.”

Hernandez nodded, taking a wand out of the box. “Try this one.”

Neil picked up the wand as he was told, thinking even if he didn’t have enough money, he could sneak back later and steal a wand for himself. He raised the wand to eye level and it immediately let out a series of sparks, followed by a shattering noise as the vase on the counter blew apart into a million shining pieces.

Before Neil could say anything, Hernandez had muttered “Reparo” and the vase flew back together, shards mending and cracks disappearing as if never there. 

“No, not Alder wood then,” he muttered before stocking off further into the shop. He was back in a moment with four more boxes. 

Neil tried the first two and had similar results, then used the third to accidentally knock over a pile of boxes, sending dust flying into the air and setting both him and Hernandez to coughing.

After everything settled, Hernandez ignored the fourth box he’d brought out and instead disappeared back into the shop. He was gone for what felt like five minutes this time, and when he came back he was holding only one box.

He blew dust off the top before opening it and examining the wand. 

“I’ve had countless people test out this wand and it never chose a match. I moved it to the back eventually, thinking it would never settle. But maybe...” 

Neil took the wand as Hernandez held it out. He felt something thrum through him the moment his fingers brushed it. Neil had never really had a wand of his own before. Was this how it felt like? 

“Willow, 11 inches, phoenix feather core. Go on, try something simple,” Hernandez instructed.

Without thinking it through, Neil thought of how dimly lit the shop was and imagined lighting it up. The end of his wand glowed bright, his nonverbal Lumos illuminating the space around them.

“Well done, well done!” smiled Hernandez. “Already achieving what I had thought to maybe be impossible.”

Neil almost laughed at that. Part of him wasn’t surprised in the slightest how a wand that couldn’t settle on one person would pick him. Wasn’t he the same? They could jump from identity to identity together for the rest of his probably short life.

Neil reluctantly went to put the wand back on the counter, knowing he couldn’t afford it. 

“What are you doing?” Hernandez asked.

“I don’t have-“

“I’ve been searching for this wand’s owner for a lifetime. You’re doing me a favor by taking it. Off with you.”

Neil didn’t quite believe it was that simple, but he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity. He turned to head out of the shop before Hernandez changed his mind.

“I do extend my condolences for the passing of your mother,” Hernandez called out.

Neil froze, not able to turn around. 

“How did you know my mother died?”

Hernandez gave a sad sigh. “I told you I remember every wand I’ve ever sold. I remember her coming in here as if it was yesterday. Stubborn, strong, determined. I’m saddened by what she was drawn into, how she was sucked into a life she hadn’t wanted. But she was strong right up to the end, wasn’t she?”

Neil swung the shop door open in a hurry, Hernandez’s words echoing through his mind. Hernandez knew who his mother was, must knew who _he_ was. How long did he have until his father found him now?

“I won’t tell anyone,” Hernandez called out. “Her husband and his associates have killed a great number of innocent witches and wizards that I helped match with wands. Their magic never deserved to be snuffed out so early.” 

The bell jangled once more as the door fell shut behind Neil. His heart was beating fast but Hernandez’s words were lodged in his head. Maybe his father had more enemies out there than Neil had ever thought to imagine. Or to hope for.

He longed to retreat to his room at the Leaky Cauldron, to hide away from the brief mentions of his past and leave behind this crowd of people, but he forced himself to continue on to Madam Malkin’s for his last stop of the day. 

Neil hadn’t worn robes since before his mother and him had ran all those years ago. Pretending to be Muggles was the obvious choice when the goal was to blend in. So as he entered the shop, he was slightly taken aback by all the options in front of him. 

“Hogwarts student?” the witch at the front counter asked him, looking him up and down and probably judging his worn Muggle clothing. 

Neil nodded and she stood up.

“Follow me,” she said, heading toward the back of the shop. 

Neil hurried to catch up. Right before they entered a room in the back, he heard voices.

“Come on, Kevin. Just pick one already.”

“Yeah, Kevin, hurry up! Aaron wants a turn.”

“I just want to get out of here sometime today.”

“Dress robes are important! You know what’s happening at Hogwarts this year, we-”

The boy being fitted who must be Kevin cut himself off as Neil entered the room. The silence was broken as the lady waved her wand at a tape measure, which began to fly around and take Neil’s measurements.

“Someone will be in to fit you for your school robes soon. You’ll be needing dress robes too?”

Neil nodded as she walked out.

Kevin halted his debate between two different styles of dress robes and cleared his throat. “Anyway, you know what my father told me and I don’t care if you lot aren’t taking it seriously, but I am.”

Their conversation continued and Neil tried not to look at them and appear as if he wasn’t listening. It wasn’t too hard as he concentrated on the annoying tape measure flitting around him, currently wrapping around his head for who knows what reason.

“You know how to walk after all.”

Neil looked over for a moment to see who was speaking and realized it was the blond boy from earlier. Well it was probably him, he thought as he noticed the doppelgänger next to him who must be his twin. The tape yanked his head back so he was facing forward before he could respond.

“Wait,” said the one boy - Nicky, he remembered. “You’re getting fitted for Hogwarts robes? What year are you?”

“Seventh year,” Neil said, keeping his voice even. Here it goes.

“Seventh year!” Nicky exclaimed. “That cannot be possible. There’s no way I would have gone six whole years without noticing someone as gorgeous as you walking around!”

Neil shifted on his feet and earned a retaliating slap on the knee from the tape measure as it measured his inseam. 

“I’m new. Transferring from Ilvermorny.”

Kevin scoffed as he stepped off the fitting platform and shucked off his dress robes. “Impossible. My father would have told me if we were getting a new student.”

“You don’t sound like you’re from Ilvermorny,” said the one twin. 

Neil glanced back over at the group to see his eyes narrowed as he stared at Neil, as if already trying to see through Neil’s story.

“Mum works for a potions supply company. She got moved to the States when I was young and they recently asked for her to transfer back.”

“Stop being so suspicious, Andrew,” muttered Nicky. “That’s not the way to make our newest schoolmate feel welcomed.”

Andrew’s twin snorted. “Did you really expect something else, Nicky?”

Two women entered the room and halted the conversation. 

“Up with you,” one addressed Andrew’s twin as she gestured to the platform.

The other consulted with the tape measure and summoned robes for Neil to try on. 

Nicky started clapping. “Aaron, you look great! I feel like a proud mother seeing her child all grown up, in your Head Boy robes and all.”

Andrew went to open his mouth and Nicky shoved a hand in his direction. “Don’t ruin it,” he pleaded.

Andrew rolled his eyes and went back to staring at the wall.

“I still don’t get it,” Kevin mumbled as Neil began to try on his dress robes. “Why wouldn’t he tell me about a new student.”

“Hasn’t Wymack spilled enough Hogwarts secrets to you this summer?” Aaron muttered.

Wymack? Neil would’ve never guessed Wymack had a son. He did feel slightly better knowing Wymack had kept his secret even from his family though.

It wasn’t long before Neil was finished being fitted and he quickly gathered up his robes and headed out of the fitting room. The other boys were behind him when he finished paying at the front counter and turned around to leave.

“See you next week, um…” Nicky trailed off. “What’s your name?”

“Neil,” Neil muttered as he slipped past them and towards the door. 

“We’ll see you next week, Neil!”

Neil didn’t look back as he left the shop and headed straight to his room at the Leaky Cauldron. He dropped his new books and clothes on the bed and followed them down. He’d only met four of his soon to be classmates and one already seemed suspicious of him. How was he going to get through a whole year of this?

Neil had no idea, but he only had a week until 1 September came and then he’d have no choice but to figure it out.


	3. The Sorting Hat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, I'm back! hope you enjoy :)  
> also thanks to Jules for beta reading!

The feel of his duffel bag bouncing against his hip was familiar and comforting as Neil walked through King’s Cross Station. He’d only traveled through here once before when he’d been much younger and they’d first fled, and trying to act causal was difficult as the memories made him tense and wary. Only a few more minutes until he was on the Hogwarts Express and would be headed somewhere safe, somewhere his father shouldn’t be able to get to him at least until the school year ended.  He just had to find his way to Platform 9 3/4.

That should have been easy, but of course, it wasn’t. Neil stopped in between Platforms 9 and 10 and attempted to glance around without seeming like he was lost. With the number of students headed to Hogwarts today, shouldn’t there be a crowd?

He decided to wait at least ten minutes before asking someone. He’d rather not have to ask and give someone a reason to remember his face. Sure, his glamours were strong enough to hold up to most scrutiny, giving him darker hair and plain brown eyes, but there was no need for unnecessary risk.

With three minutes left on his mental clock, Neil watched as a girl and a boy his age came into view, trunks and some kind of animal carrier pushed in front of them on a cart.

“Hurry up, Matt,” the girl said to the boy as he stuck his fingers inside the cage and bent his head down, causing her to slow the cart. “The faster we get on the train the sooner she can be out of there.”

Matt looked up with concern written all over his face. “But she’s so sad in there. I don’t think she can wait that long.”

“Neither can I,” the girl muttered as she sped up the cart, heading straight towards Neil. 

Neil took a hurried step out the way but he was too late. The girl slowed the cart to a stop and shot him a smile.

“Hi,” she said.

There was an awkward pause before he greeted her back.

“Where are you headed?” she asked.

“School,” Neil replied vaguely. If he had to guess he would say they were Hogwarts students, judging by the sleeve of what was probably a robe sticking out of one of the trunks.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. Are you new?” Matt asked, distracted from whatever creature was inside the carrier for a moment. A furry paw swiped through the bars and almost caught his sleeve but he didn’t seem to notice.

Neil nodded.

“Oh!” the girl exclaimed. “No wonder you’re just standing here. Did no one tell you how to get to the Platform?”

“I think that may have been left off my letter,” Neil admitted.

Matt jumped forward, inadvertently avoiding another feeble paw swipe. “I’ll show you!”

“Here we go,” the girl said as she rolled her eyes, though she looked more amused than annoyed.

“All right, so this is how you do it,” Matt said as he walked over to the wide, flat side of an archway. He crossed his arms and his legs and leaned slightly back as if he was casually waiting for his train against the wall. 

“So you first have to make sure no Muggles are watching and that you aren’t being obvious.”

The girl snorted, her short black curls bouncing around her head as she shook it. “Because that’s what you’re doing.”

“Shush, Dan,” Matt said. “Now as I was say-”

Matt was suddenly cut off as a hand reached out of the wall, out of nowhere, and grabbed his shoulder. It yanked him back hard and in the next moment, he was gone, disappearing as he tumbled back into the wall.

Neil was startled for a second until Dan started laughing. He looked to find her doubled over the cart, shoulders shaking.

“I knew Allison said she was going to try that but I didn’t think she’d actually do it!” She glanced up at Neil and tried to stop laughing for a moment, though her amused smile remained. “Come on, you first. Just walk through and I’ll be right behind you.”

Neil looked between Dan and the wall for a moment before deciding to listen to her. He squared his shoulders, tightened his grip on the strap of his duffel bag, and walked through. 

One moment he was an inch away from brick and the next he was greeted with the sight of a crowded platform, children hugging parents and calling out goodbyes as they hopped on a train that was billowing steam. In front of him was Matt, just getting up and dusting himself off as a blond girl in a dress and heeled boots laughed loudly and a girl with rainbow tipped hair attempted to hide a smile behind her hand. 

He stepped out of the way just before Dan appeared with their cart. 

“You so got him!” she laughed, leaping forward to hug the blond girl. “The look on his face when he went tumbling back!”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” grumbled Matt. “Just ruin my final entrance to the Platform.”

“You were asking for it,” the girl said, flipping her long hair behind her shoulder. “Six years doing the same ‘smooth’ entrance, there was no way I could pass up the chance to mess with you.”

“Renee,” Matt pouted, turning to the girl with the rainbow hair. “I thought you were the voice of reason around here.”

“Sorry, Matt,” Renee said, giving him an apologetic smile. “I can’t force Allison to listen to me. She does what she wants.”

“That’s damn right,” Allison said. “Now let’s- wait, who are you?”

Suddenly all four of them were staring at Neil. 

“Um, I’m Neil.”

“I’m Allison. You may be short but you’re not a first year,” Allison said, tapping her dark green nails against her chin for a moment. “And I know there’s no way I’ve missed you before.”

Why does everyone seem so sure he stands out so much?

“I just transferred,” Neil supplied. “From Ilvermorny. Seventh year.”

“Oh!” Allison’s eyes brightened. “Well, you are just in luck. We’re seventh years too. Come on, let’s find a compartment together.”

Next thing Neil knew, Allison had tugged his duffel bag off his shoulder to hand to Matt, hooked her arm through his, and started leading him onto the Hogwarts Express. He glanced behind himself to see the others following, Matt and Dan leaving all their belongings in a pile to be loaded, though Matt had grabbed the animal carrier. He wanted to go back and grab his duffel but he couldn’t very well be the only one bringing his luggage on the train.

Allison marched them towards the front of a carriage and let go of Neil to throw a compartment door open. Inside, two young students looked up at her with wide eyes. 

“Out,” she demanded. “This is mine.”

They hesitated for a second before realizing she was serious, then quickly grabbed their things and scurried out.

“Allison,” Renee chided as she watched the kids run by. “That wasn’t very nice.”

Allison shrugged as she took a seat to the right. “We sit in this compartment every year. I’m not switching now.”

Neil took a spot on the left closest to the window. Matt and Dan entered a moment later and sat next to him while Renee sat next to Allison, who promptly pulled off her shoes and placed her feet on Renee’s lap.

Neil noticed Dan and Matt exchange a subtle glance but didn’t know what it meant. 

“So Allison,” Dan started. “Have you talked to Seth at all this summer?”

“Nope,” she replied, popping the p and leaning back so she was half lying in her seat. “He’s too busy with the new job. Who has time to talk to old girlfriends when you could be off killing dragons or whatnot?”

“His job isn’t to kill dragons,” Renee said softly, patting Allison’s ankles. “It’s to tame them and take care of them.”

“Yeah, he seems to really be enjoying it,” Matt added.

“Whatever,” Allison said, cutting off the topic with a wave of her hand. “Let’s talk about something else. How about you, Neil? What was Ilvermorny like?”

Neil shrugged, trying to act casual and as if he had a real answer to this question. “It was fine. Crowded. More students than Hogwarts I believe.”

“It’ll be interesting to hear how different you find Hogwarts,” Dan said. “How it compares and all. Are you nervous about transferring in your last year?”

“Not really,” Neil answered. “It’s just classes and-”

He was suddenly cut off as a piercing whistle sounded and the train gave a sudden lurch. Renee stood up and went to open the window so she could lean out and wave at a woman who was smiling back at her. The sounds of other students yelling their last goodbyes to their parents echoed in through the window and made Neil feel wistful for a moment. Was this what it would have been like if his father didn’t hate him? Him waving out the window at his mother as he went off to his last year at Hogwarts, surrounded by friends he’d had for years?

Renee slammed the window shut and Neil shut that path of thinking down with it. Wishing for a better life was nonsense. It wasn’t something he’d ever been entitled to have.

Thankfully the conversation didn’t revolve around him after that. Matt started regaling the girls with the trips him and his mother went on over the summer and they didn’t force him to participate beyond a few passing comments. Instead, he spent his time staring out the window, watching as the city faded and green fields rolled by, with each minute the distance between him and his father increasing and the distance between him and temporary safety lessening. It was something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

With the train speeding towards Hogwarts and their compartment door firmly shut, Matt finally opened the carrier he’d brought with him. An orange colored blur darted out and Neil lifted his feet as it ran a few circles around the compartment before leaping into Matt’s lap.

“Felix,” Matt cooed happily as he pet the creature. 

“Control your cat, Matt,” Allison said as she pretended to dust fur off her dress even though the cat hadn’t come near her.

“Don’t call her a cat,” Matt muttered as he continued to pet the not-cat.

“What is she then?” Neil asked. The others seemed as surprised as he was that he’d spoken up.

“Queen Felix Boyd I, Gryffindor’s mighty Kneazle guard, defender of the common room entrance,” Matt announced proudly.

“She’s not a very good guard considering she lets me in every time,” Allison pointed out.

“Well despite your rudeness towards her for some reason she still likes you.”

“Story of my life,” Allison replied flippantly.

Dan snorted. “You’re just jealous you have to share the title of queen with someone.”

“I am not,” Allison argued. “Each house has its own queen. You have Felix, Hufflepuff has Renee, angelic as always, Slytherin is graced with me, and Ravenclaw has Kevin the resident drama queen.”

“Thank you for the compliment Allison, but I thought you were going to try to get along better with Kevin this year,” Renee said.

Allison hummed and tapped her chin. “Really? Doesn’t sound like me. Getting along with the Monsters would be so _boring_.”

“Speaking of drama queens...” Dan trailed off with a significant glance Allison’s way.

Allison opened her mouth to retort back when the compartment door slammed open. 

Matt lunged forward and managed to grab Felix before she made it out of the door while an older woman pushing a trolley smiled at them.

“Anything from the trolley, dears?” she asked.

Matt placed Felix on Dan’s lap before going over to examine the trolley goods. He started grabbing what seemed to be one of everything and tossing it on his seat. Everyone else was quick to claim their favorites while Matt paid for the haul. 

“Would you like anything?” Renee asked Neil as Matt sat back down.

“Oh, yeah, of course! Grab anything you like Neil!” Matt said, gesturing to the pile.

Neil didn’t know why these people he’d just met and barely knew were offering him some of their sweets, but he didn’t want to seem rude in turning them down. Neil Josten was supposed to be quiet and unassuming and not draw attention after all.

Matt had just handed Neil a small box that he recognized as a chocolate frog (his mother had given him one once when he was young, but his father thought childish treats were stupid so he hadn’t seen once since) when the compartment door once again opened.

Neil looked over at the newcomer and almost gave a start. Short, blonde, blank face. It was one of the twins from Madam Malkin’s. He’d only met them briefly but from his expression, Neil guessed it was the one that had questioned him, as the other twin had seemed to have a permanent annoyed look on his face that this one lacked.

“Hello Andrew,” Renee greeted him, confirming Neil’s suspicions. 

Andrew nodded back as he looked around the cabin. His eyes met Neil’s and narrowed so slightly he might have imagined it.

“I see you’ve adopted another stray,” Andrew observed in a bored tone.

“At least this one’s much cuter than the last,” Allison replied with a glance towards Felix.

Matt started to argued but Andrew talked over them.

“Renee,” he said backing out into the hall. 

Renee tapped Allison’s ankles in a request to move her feet then followed Andrew outside, shutting the door behind her.

“You know...” Dan started with a smug look towards Matt. 

“No,” Allison said. “You’re going to lose that bet.”

“You never know,” Matt said.

“I do.”

Neil didn’t think his face was giving away any curiosity but Dan decided to fill him in anyway.

“We have a large bet going on whether Renee and Andrew will be an item,” she informed him.

“An item?” he asked.

“Yes, like a couple.”

“Oh.” Why should he care?

“What do you think? Yay or nay?”

Neil shrugged. “I don’t know them enough to guess. Does it really matter?”

“Of course it does!” Matt exclaimed. “Renee’s an angel. She doesn’t need his bad influence.”

“What’s he done wrong?” Neil asked.

There was a brief moment of silence as his question hung in the air. Matt just shrugged awkwardly and leaned back in his seat, focusing on petting Felix. “It’s nothing I guess...”

“He’s rude, short, and doesn’t give a shit about anyone outside of his little group of Monsters,” Allison explained. “No offense with the short comment though.”

Neil ignored her and slipped his chocolate frog in his pocket, hoping they were too distracted now to realize he hadn’t eaten it. Renee came back a few minutes later and assured them everything was fine even though Andrew had wanted to talk in private. Neil didn’t know her well enough to say for sure, but the look on her face made him not totally believe her. Andrew had said something to Renee that made her slightly worried. Neil could tell by the look of contemplation on her face when she thought no one was watching her.

Neil spent the rest of the train ride staring out the window and changed into his school robes when the others started to. Soon enough they were all rushing off the Hogwarts Express and walking away from the Hogsmeade station to wait in a queue with the other students.

The others chatted around him and greeted fellow students as the queue quickly moved. Neil glanced back once to see the “Monsters” as Allison called them standing a few groups behind him. He turned back just when the students ahead of them rushed onto a carriage.

Matt, Dan, Allison, and Renee walked up to the next waiting carriage while Neil stared at the large creatures in front of him. Black as midnight, leathery wings, skeletal. The one nearest him turned its head and seemed to stare right at him, straight through him, with its fully white eyes.

“Neil.”

Neil flinched in surprise at the soft voice and looked over to see Renee standing next to him. She gazed calmly at the creature and then turned back to him.

“You can see them?” she questioned. 

Neil nodded.

“I can too. Not many of the others can see the Thestrals though. Only those of us who’ve seen death have that ability.”

Neil Josten wasn’t supposed to be a boy who had seen death, who’d held his mother’s broken bones in his arms only a few months ago. He was supposed to be an average wizard with a normal life and a boring upbringing. Neil Josten wasn’t supposed to have grown up with a father that used the Unforgivables without care and killed with pleasure.

So Neil forced himself to move, to climb in the carriage with Renee on his heels, to act like that hadn’t just happened. He hoped no one else had noticed him freeze up, but as the Thestrals began to pull their carriage towards Hogwarts, Neil could have sworn he saw Andrew watching them as they passed.

The carriage ride felt like it was both the quickest and longest few minutes of Neil’s life. He was so close to temporary safety he could almost taste it, but he was also so close to being stuck with the same people in close quarters for almost a year. He’d been hiding and pretending to be someone else his whole life, but they’d always moved after a few months, never staying in one place for too long. The thought of being confined to the Hogwarts grounds until June was making him feel slightly trapped, making his head spin and his feet itch with the urge to run. 

He was so distracted by his conflicting thoughts, going through the motions and just following the others out of the carriage, that finally looking up and seeing rows of tables and benches was a shock. The room was gigantic, four long tables stretching across the space with a long table perpendicular to them at the front. The night sky hung overhead with stars winking in and out above floating candles that by some magic weren’t dripping wax on everyone’s heads. The tables seemed to be arranged by House, considering all the students were grouped by the accent colors on their robes. But he wasn’t in a house yet, so where did he sit?

“Come on, Neil,” Dan said from right beside him. “You can sit with Matt and me at the Gryffindor table for now.”

Not knowing what else to do, Neil followed them over and sat down between the two.

He’d barely gotten settled when the person across from him leaned forward.

“Hi,” said a brown-haired girl as she stuck out her hand. “I’m Sarah. Most people just call me Alvarez though. I don’t think we’ve met.”

“We haven’t,” Neil said as he made himself reach out and shake her hand. “I’m Neil.”

“Neil’s new here,” Matt explained. “From-”

“Ilvermorny!” Nicky chimed in as he plopped down next to Alvarez. “Nice to see you again, Neil. Are you in Gryffindor? I was hoping you’d be. Now we can-”

“How do you know Neil?” Dan asked, interrupting Nicky’s rambling.

Nicky waved a hand. “We met at Madam Malkin’s. Now Neil-”

Thankfully Nicky was cut off by the entrance of what looked to be the first year students, trailing Wymack between the tables to the front of the room.

The Sorting Hat was then brought out and sang a song that Neil tuned out in favor of further examining the room. There was the main door they had come in and a smaller door off to the side of the professors’ table in the front of the room. Not many options if one needed to run.

One by one the first years were called up to put on the Sorting Hat and be placed in a House. Some were placed quickly while others sat there in silence for a while. What was going on? Was the hat taking its time to sort through their minds? Neil suddenly felt cold all over. Would the hat know him as Neil Josten or as Nathaniel Wesninski? His mother had forced him to master Occlumency years ago, but he couldn’t keep the hat out of his mind or it would be obvious he wasn’t just some normal transfer student. Surely Wymack had thought of this and informed the hat or something, right?

Neil felt the anticipation clawing its way up his throat as the last few students took their seats. Wymack’s voice calling his name sounded muffled, as if coming from miles away, and only Dan pushing him onto his feet made him move. He did his best to ignore the weight of the stares on him as he made his way to the front of the room. Unintelligible whispers rose behind him as the students of Hogwarts began gossiping about the newest transfer.

Wymack gestured for Neil to sit on the stool next to him and, once he was settled, perched on the edge and trying to remain still, Wymack dropped the hat onto his head.

Neil immediately felt a presence in his mind as _something_ wormed its way into his thoughts. On instinct, he started to block it before he remembered why he couldn’t do that.

_“Occlumens, eh? Smart and talented, indeed. But where to put you?”_

The Sorting Hat’s voice echoed through the caverns of his mind, trailing through memories both ancient and recent, influential and mundane. But instead of feeling invasive like his mother’s mind was when she performed Legilimency on him so he could practice blocking her out, the Sorting Hat felt… harmless. Detached. Uninterested in using the knowledge it gained for anything besides its immediate decision. It served to lessen Neil’s nerves, though only slightly.

“How about a house where no one will notice me?” Neil thought, wondering if the Sorting Hat would speak back to him.

_“Somewhere where no one will notice you?”_ the hat replied. _“Haven’t you spent enough of your life hiding and running?”_

“What would you know about running? You’re just a hat.”

_“A hat that’s seen more of the world than you have, boy.”_

Neil fought back the mockery of a laugh that threatened to climb up his throat. “I highly doubt that.”

_“Think what you wish. But my, you’re a complex one. Sorting older students is always a more difficult task, much more to sort through._

“Probably because we actually have the guts to argue back with an old ratty hat, unlike the first years.”

_“I’d watch your tongue, young one, or maybe I’ll refuse to Sort you. How would that be for not drawing attention?”_

Neil begrudgingly stopped his next barbed thought.

_“Well then. I see the bravery of a Gryffindor, yes, even though you haven’t yet had the chance to stand your ground. Quick wit of a Ravenclaw too. Even the loyalty and desire for a family is buried deep in there, yes, yes. But oh the cunning of a Slytherin is obvious, much ambition in this one, to survive, to outrun, to overcome those dark creatures of the past. All these traits, all the houses, will be needed to survive your past coming to haunt you, most surely. Hmm with that, it better be… SLYTHERIN.”_

Cheers went up around the Slytherin table as the Sorting Hat declared its pick. Once Wymack pulled the hat off his head Neil immediately made his way to his new table, where Allison waved at him to sit in an empty seat beside her.

“I left this spot empty because I knew you’d be Sorted into the best house,” she commented as he settled in.

“Okay,” Neil said. He wasn’t quite sure how she would have known considering he’d had no real clue himself but figured the gesture was supposedly a nice one.

Headmaster Whittier quickly declared the Start-of-Term Feast as begun and everyone set to devouring the food that magically appeared before them. Throughout dinner, students leaned over the table to introduce themselves to Neil, but it was hard to concentrate on what they were saying between all the noise, his paranoid thoughts over the Sorting Hat’s words, and Allison’s running commentary on the qualities and flaws of each Slytherin around them. He was set to ignore her at first but then realized the knowledge might turn useful.

“And that’s Amal,” Allison whispered as she threw a pointed look at a tall boy a few seats down, skin as dark as his robes. “Handsome, great in bed, and a decent Beater for our team. Actually really talented in Arthimancy too, but when I dated him in fourth year I spent more time teaching him potions theory than teaching him more enjoyable things. Obviously, it didn’t last long with that.”

“Our team? Did you play Quidditch?” Neil asked.

Allison sighed. “That’s all you got out of what I said? Please tell me you’re not another one of those.”

“Another one of what?”

“A _Kevin_ ,” she said, complete with a fake shiver. “Ravenclaw’s star Chaser. Completely obsessed with Quidditch and married to his broom. Did you know when he first transferred here he carried his broom to class with him for a whole month? As if it was a comforting toy or something. Like come on, it was fourth year.”

Kevin, one of the so-called Monsters, played Quidditch. He wondered if any of the other Monsters played Quidditch. He wondered if he kept listening to Allison then maybe she’d help him get a tryout for Slytherin’s team.

“Quiet, please,” Headmaster Whittier said from the front of the room. He was standing behind a gilded podium, looking out at the sea of students. “I have a few announcements before the feast is ended and you head to your dormitories.”

The room slowly quieted down as everyone finished turning in their seats to get a good view of the Headmaster.

“I have some very exciting news, along with some sad news. Starting with the later, I am sorry to announce that Quidditch this year has been canceled. I-”

The Headmaster was immediately interrupted by loud noises of dismay and the banging of fists on tables. 

“Come on!” Allison yelled from beside him. “You can’t do that!”

Likewise, sentiments were coming from other tables as the student argued over the cancellation. Neil’s stomach dropped. He should’ve known better than to work up any hope towards playing Quidditch. It was as if his mother was coming back from the grave to keep ensuring he would never play again.

“That’s disappointing,” Allison said. “Look at Kevin. He’s not even crying.”

Neil looked to where she’d gestured to find Kevin with his arms crossed staring up at the Headmaster as if bored with this announcement and ready to move on. One of the twins was sitting next to him, Neil couldn’t guess which from here, and also looked pretty bored.

“Silence,” called Headmaster Whittier for the umpteenth time, and everyone finally listened. “I know this news may be upsetting, but the reason Quidditch is being canceled is because Hogwarts has been chosen to host a most prestigious event over the coming months. It is my great pleasure to inform you that this year we have the honor of hosting the Triwizard Tournament.”

Murmurs rose up around the room again. Someone across from Neil muttered something about how the tournament hadn’t been held in years.

“For those of you who don’t know the history behind the tournament, three champions from three wizarding schools will be chosen to compete in three different tasks. The reward for winning? Glory, fame, and one thousand Galleons.” Chitters filled the room at that. “However, because of the danger and perils faced by the champions throughout the tournament, no one under seventeen will be allowed to compete.”

“That’s rubbish!” a voice called out from one of the other tables. Laughter followed in its wake.

“I am sorry if this is upsetting for some of the younger students, but I assure you the reasoning is sound. Ministry of Magic representatives Mr. James Browning, the Head of the Department of International Cooperation, and Mr. Ludo Towns, Head of the Department of Games and Sports, decided the tournament could only be held if that rule was followed. These two men, along with myself and the headmasters of the other two schools competing, will act as judges.

“Until Halloween, the school year will continue as normal. On that day, students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will arrive and the selection of champions will happen soon after.”

“Fuck,” Allison muttered under her breath.

Neil glanced over to find her straightened in her seat, attempting to make eye contact with someone from another table. He followed her gaze in time to see Renee grimace and give a slight nod.

“Well this year just got a whole lot better,” Allison said as she clenched her fists on the table. 

“What’s wrong?” Neil asked.

Allison let out a breath and shot him a fake smile. “It’s nothing.”

Unconvinced, Neil took to scanning the room as Headmaster Whittier wrapped up with a few final announcements. He first noticed Dan, Matt, and Nicky at the Gryffindor table whispering to one another. Wymack had his arms folded tightly across his chest and was focused on Kevin at the Ravenclaw table. Kevin looked slightly pale and was staring down at the table in front of him, face completely blank. 

Whittier must have declared the feast as ended because students started rising from the tables. Neil noticed one of the twins leave the Hufflepuff table and make a beeline towards Kevin. He grabbed Kevin’s arm, hauled him up, and dragged him out of the room.

Something odd was going on, but it wasn’t his problem, right? Neil was here to lay low for the year. He wasn’t here to get involved in other people’s drama and problems. Maybe this tournament would be a good thing. With so much going on and so many new faces coming to Hogwarts, who would have time to care about him?

“Follow me, Slytherins!” called out a girl wearing a dark green hijab. 

Neil followed his new fellow Slytherins down to the dungeons. Allison seemed to disappear for a minute, but as they stopped in front of a bare stretch of stone wall she appeared at his side.

“The current password is ‘Palmetto.’” said the girl.

“That’s Laila,” Allison whispered to him as a door appeared in the stone wall and swung open. “Slytherin Prefect.”

Everyone rushed through the door while Neil hung in the back, not willing to push through the other students. Once he did make it inside, the irony hit him like a physical blow. The common room was dimly lit, with lamps hanging from the ceiling the only real light source. Behind gigantic windows embedded in the wall was the lake, complete with a few sea creatures swimming past and murky light filtering in, giving the room an eerie feeling. Dark leather sofas and chairs were scattered around the room among bookshelves lining the walls. But what caught Neil’s attention was the huge fireplace, where the flames within shined flickering light up towards the mantelpiece above carved in the design of a snake. Of course Neil, the boy desperate to keep his Parseltongue talent a secret, would end up in the house with an affinity for snakes. He just had to hope they didn’t keep any as pets around here. 

“Neil, right? The new seventh year?”

Neil turned to find the boy Allison had pointed out to him, Amal, addressing him. He nodded.

“I can show you to our dormitory if you want,” Amal offered. “Unless you wanted to hang in the common room for a bit longer.”

“Uh, no thanks. Let’s go.”

Amal lips twitched as if he understood Neil’s desire not to stand around being questioned as the new student and he took off down one of the hallways. Their room was at the very end of the hall and had four beds inside. Neil headed over to the bed with his duffel bag on it. He itched to check that it hadn’t been searched through but waited until Amal waved goodbye and left.

A pass-through showed all the tags were folded the correct way and nothing seemed out of place or missing. Feeling a bit more settled, Neil took a moment to lay down on his new bed and stare up at the ceiling. Light from the window beside his bed cast moving colors and shadows above him and the more he watched them the calmer he felt. He’d made it to Hogwarts. He’d made it to safety, or at the least the closest to it he might ever get. Now all he had to do was go to class, do his homework, not draw attention, and start working on his plan for what he would do after this year in limbo was up. For the first time in a while, Neil thought he might be okay.


	4. The New Snake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello readers, I'm finally back with a new chapter! this summer was way busier than I'd thought it'd be and I've hardly had any time to write unfortunately. I can't promise fast or consistent updates with this fic at the moment but I will continue to update whenever I find the time!

On the first morning of classes, Neil woke before his new roommates. After a few minutes of silently checking that the wards he’d put around his bed and belongings last night had been left untouched, he washed up and was ready to go by the time everyone else began stumbling out of bed. 

There were a few people already up in the common room, scattered around and mostly reading on the sofas and chairs that dotted the room. The hallway Neil came out of must lead to all the boys’ dormitories, while he assumed the hallway across the room led to the girls’. A cursory look revealed only one way in and out, which was both good and bad. Good because it really did mean only someone with the password could make it inside, and bad because having only one route of escape always made Neil feel trapped.

“Good morning. Let’s go,” Allison said as she appeared out of nowhere and went to latch on to Neil’s arm. 

On instinct he flinched away. She paused for a second, as if surprised, but then motioned for him to follow her out into the dungeons, acting like nothing happened. 

Neil followed her because they were presumedly going the same way, not because he needed someone to direct him around as if he was a poor new student who couldn’t figure it out on his own. He’d made sure to memorize all the staircases and turns they took last night, after all.

As they started up the staircase that led to the Entrance Hall, grumbling and yelling and an odd high pitched singing voice met them. 

“Bloody hell, this already?” Allison muttered, shaking her head. “It’s only the first day.”

They crested the stairs and were greeted with the sight of students running into the Great Hall, holding their books either above their heads or under their robes. A pale figure wearing striped and dotted clothes along with a hideous orange bow tie flew through the air, cackling as it dropped water balloons on people’s heads. 

“First years, first years, firsty firsty first years!” it sang while chasing down a group of short kids. “Welcome to Hogwarts!” It tossed two balloons which broke at their feet, causing one kid to slip and the others to squeal as their robes were splashed.

“What is that thing?” Neil asked Allison as they stopped at the top of the stairs, watching the chaos.

“Peeves. The most annoying poltergeist you’ll ever meet. He better not ruin my hair.” 

With that she started across the hall, head held high as if unconcerned with the water balloons being hurtled around her.

Neil was quick to follow her lead, though he did slide his wand out of his sleeve and cast a quick charm to deflect anything from falling on him. 

It was lucky he did, because he only made it halfway across the hall before a water balloon hit his charm and bounced off, landing at Allison’s feet. She jumped out of the way just in time to avoid most of the splash, only getting a few drops on the bottom of her robes.

“Who are you, ruining my fun?” Peeves grumbled as he glared at Neil. “Oh,” he cackled as his gleaming eyes lit up. “You’re the transfer! A new snake in the building, a new snake in the building! Neil, right? Why don’t you kneel down to Peeves as the poltergeist king!”

Peeves flew around in circles as he chanted. The snake part made Neil freeze, though he knew Peeves could only be referring to him being a Slytherin.

Peeves went to throw another balloon but was stopped by Allison’s threatening voice.

“I swear to the Bloody Baron, if you throw that balloon I will get him to quarantine you to the Owlery for a week!”

“Why would the Bloody Baron listen to you?” Peeves teased, though he didn’t let go of the balloon.

Allison smiled, all teeth. “He may owe me a favor.”

“You’re bluffing,” Peeves accused, eyes narrowing. 

Students brushed past Neil as they ran as fast as they could without slipping into the Great Hall, making use of the distraction.

“Wanna bet?” Allison shot back.

Peeves glared at her for a moment before blowing a raspberry and spinning around to throw his balloon at some other student. It hit a Gryffindor square in the face, causing him to start cursing Peeves.

Neil noticed a water balloon laying on the ground nearby and couldn’t resist quickly pointing his wand at it. With a quick flick it flew through the air, smacking against the back of Peeves’ head.

“Who did that?” he yelled furiously as he spun around in circles.

Allison looked back at Neil with a raised eyebrow.

He shook his head. “I didn’t see who threw it.”

Allison nodded and they hurried into the Great Hall before Peeves decided to call her bluff. They sat down at the Slytherin table, most of whom looked drier than the other Houses.

Neil shot a questioning look at Allison.

She shrugged. “It’s the Slytherin way, Neil. Your House always comes first. I distract Peeves at the right time so most of the Slytherin get by unscathed, risking my hair in the process I might add, and then they owe me.”

“Were you bluffing?”

“Nope. The Bloody Baron actually does owe me a favor, not that I’d waste it on Peeves.”

Allison was more cunning than Neil would have given her credit for. He’d have to make sure he stayed on her good side.

Eventually a professor showed up to chase Peeves away and the hall filled with noise as breakfast was served. 

Neil looked down the table and noticed a professor stopping to hand something to each student.

“Who’s that?”

Allison looked around before realizing who Neil was referring to. “Oh, that’s our Head of House, Professor Higgins. He teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

Neil nodded, though he wasn’t really listening anymore. As the man approached he got this odd feeling that made him want to duck down in his seat.

“Timetable,” Professor Higgins said as he made it down the table to Neil.

Neil grabbed it and turned back to his plate quickly, not moving to look at it until the professor was a few people away. He chided himself internally at feeling so skittish. There was no reason to act wary around his Head of House.

“What’s your first class?” Allison asked as she leaned over.

“Charms.”

“And we have Defense Against the Dark Arts together later. We should get moving. Charms is on the Third floor.”

Allison walked away from the Slytherin table as if she knew Neil would follow her lead. He didn’t quite understand why she seemed to have taken it upon herself to talk to him and show him around, but he followed nonetheless.

 

* * *

 

By the end of his first week at Hogwarts, Neil was exhausted. Not so much physically as mentally.

While on the run he’d been through countless Muggle schools, never for very long but enough to become familiar with the curriculum. Hogwarts was completely different. 

Objectively he’d known that magic had many facets, with branches focusing on anything from curse breaking to healing to charms solely to make life around the home easier. But his mother’s teachings had all focused on two things: offense and defense.

Ask Neil the best way to immobilize an opponent that you couldn’t even see, or the quickest way to stun someone, or which spell to use to counter a tracking charm, and he could take action in a heartbeat, casting most of these spells without a word to give away his intention. But how to charm a trinket into singing or how best to handle Venomous Tentacula? This was how first years must feel. 

It wasn’t all bad though. Charms, while tedious with the required memorization of enchantments and exact wand movements, provided Neil with an easy distraction from the stress of adapting to life as a Hogwarts student.

He sat with Allison and her friends Dan and Matt from Gryffindor. Dan was easy going and didn’t try to interrogate him with questions like Allison did, though he recognized she was made with tougher stuff underneath. Matt was always in a good mood about something, even when he’d inevitably blow up the object he’d been charming. Neil really didn’t understand how someone could possibly cause an explosion when trying to make a vase fill itself with water. 

He had double Arithmancy on Mondays and for one period Thursday morning and was surprised to realize it was sort of interesting. Neil had never tried to understand magic through anything but instinct before, and relating it to numbers and algorithms was a challenge he found he didn’t mind. 

The only student in that class he recognized was Kevin Day, Wymack’s son. He hadn’t seen him act odd since the Opening Feast and didn’t sit near him in the classroom, which was fine because being noticed by the son of the man who knew Neil’s secret would be a bit unnerving. 

His only other classes were Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology.

DADA was easy for Neil, though he took care to act like he’d never cast any of the spells before and always waited so he wasn’t among the first to be successful. Professor Higgins started the first day of class with a lecture on how important the class was since they were soon to go out into the world and could potentially be encountering the dark arts for the first time in their lives. Neil almost laughed from his spot in the back of the room next to Allison and her friends at the ridiculous of the statement. However he wasn’t the only one, as he noticed Kevin’s friend Andrew and a girl from Hufflepuff named Renee exchange a look, Renee’s mouth quirking up at the corners while Andrew rolled his eyes. Neil didn’t know what to think but made a mental note to be on guard around the two since their reactions had been similar to his. 

Herbology was turning out to be Neil’s least favorite class. He had an extremely limited knowledge in magical plants, only having seen his mother use a few common ones to assist in healing their injuries. Once she’d brought back a rare plant after leaving Neil behind for the day and proceeded to make a potion she wouldn’t tell him about. The people who’d been tailing them didn’t bother them again, so Neil could guess at what she’d done. 

The other problem with Herbology was that he shared it with Andrew. He hadn’t made any comments like on the Hogwarts Express but Neil felt more than once his assessing eyes on him. Neil didn’t know what he’d done to gain Andrew’s attention, but he hoped he’d be forgotten about soon. 

But now with his first week of classes behind him, Neil planned to spend his first weekend at Hogwarts making a rough map of the castle. Allison had shown him a few secret passageways to get around quicker and he figured there’d be more. He didn’t want anyone being able to sneak up on him and the knowledge would be useful in planning potential escape routes. Just in case. 

He eventually found himself wandering the 7th floor after following a passageway that began in the Charms Corridor and looked up to find Nicky smiling at him. 

“Neil, right?” he asked, not waiting for an answer. “What are you doing up here? Actually — it doesn’t matter. Dan and Matt left a few minutes ago saying they were going to help Allison convince you to join us today. I’m guessing you didn’t run into them?”

Neil shook his head and surreptitiously glanced back at the suit of armor that marked where he’d come through, wondering if Nicky knew about it.

“Well, I’ll lead the way then! You haven’t been to the Quidditch pitch yet, right?”

“Quidditch pitch?” Neil couldn’t stop from snapping forward to face Nicky.

“Yeah! As a compromise for the Quidditch season being canceled Kevin got permission for us to play unofficial games on Saturdays. Let’s go or we’ll be late!”

Neil hesitated. He couldn’t deny the longing he had for the possibility of getting back on a broom, of flying through the sky without the fear of being chased or being spotted. But a silly desire like that wasn’t worth the possible attention that would be on him. It was worse enough that he was the only transfer student. A transfer student that could play Quidditch? Not a good idea.

He was about to make an excuse when Nicky rushed down the hallway toward the moving staircases, which Neil hated because they made memorizing routes hell, calling back, “They already have teams decided today but we can still watch!”

With his reasoning of being noticed because he’d be playing bucked off the metaphorical broomstick, Neil reluctantly followed in Nicky’s direction. Being a spectator wouldn’t hurt, right?


End file.
